1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a front cover in a freely openable/closable manner, which opens, for example, when a treatment for paper jam is carried out, at an anterior surface of the image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copier, or a facsimile machine, a sheet is conveyed by a sheet conveying section, and an image is formed on the sheet in an image forming unit. For example, in a case in which an image forming apparatus is an electrophotographic system image forming apparatus commonly used for offices and the like, at the time of paper feeding to send away a sheet stacked in a paper feed cassette, or at the time of fixing a transferred toner image transferred onto a sheet by heating and pressuring it, sheet jam is easy to be caused. Therefore, in an image forming apparatus, an opening and closing cover in an openable/closable manner is provided to a front surface or a left or right side surface, and in a case of paper jam, the opening and closing cover is opened to exposure a part of a sheet conveying path, which makes it possible to easily remove the jammed paper.
The opening and closing cover is usually locked with the image forming apparatus main body with a lock member. By releasing this lock member by pushing or pulling release members such as levers or buttons by an operator (a user, a service man, or the like), the opening and closing cover is opened.
Conventionally, such a release member is, in order for anyone to easily find it when paper jam is caused, generally disposed at a relatively prominent portion of a front surface side or a side surface of the image forming apparatus, and so as to be easy to operate, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2002-351282.
However, according to the conventional art, because the release member is disposed so as to be prominent and easy to operate for an operator, as a first problem, there is the risk that, for example, when the operator takes a sheet after image formation out of a paper discharge tray, the operator touches the release member by mistake, or touches the release member without discretion, to carry out an incorrect operation. Further, a second problem that the release member is disposed at a place easy to be viewed so as to be prominent from the operator, which spoils the beauty thereof, will be brought about.